The subject of the conference is defined by the three concepts referred to in its title: diversity, marginalization and otherness. Although all three may be understood very broadly, which is what the conference organizers encourage, it is expected that both the panel sessions and the lectures will largely cover topics to do with ethnicity, colonialism and postcolonialism on the one hand, and gender and sexuality on the other. These two thematic poles are bridged by the notions of otherness and marginalization, central to the subject of the conference. One of the main aims of the panel sessions, the lectures and the ensuing discussions will be to look at literary and cultural representations of minorities as well as other ethnic and social groups which have been subject to exclusion. Particular attention will be given to ethnic, religious and sexual minorities as well as non-minority groups which have been marginalized for ideological, political or economic reasons: nations which fell victim to colonialism and women, who are still facing restrictions resulting from the centuries-long dominance of patriarchy.

The problems which the participants and organizers of the conference will inevitably delve into include identity, pluralism, diversity, the consequences of racism, xenophobia, sexism and homophobia as well as emancipation, equality and tolerance. Importantly, the conference is held over four decades after the completion of the decolonization process and the rise of both second-wave feminism and the modern gay rights movement. The four decades in question are crucial to the evolution of the academic discourse which has accompanied the above-mentioned social developments: ethnic, postcolonial, gender, women?s and queer studies. The idea behind the conference is thus inevitably to sum up the achievements of these interlinked and by definition interdisciplinary academic fields within the larger context of their connections with other areas of knowledge.

However, by no means will the conference program be limited to present-day literary, cultural and social phenomena: inherent in the idea of the conference is a diachronic perspective as well as an intercultural one. Although the official language of the conference is English, researchers exploring various linguistic and cultural areas are more than welcome. Dialog, one of the key terms included in the conference?s title, implies the idea of voice or, to be precise, a polyphony of voices, understood broadly as literary narratives, cultural, social, political and academic discourse and, at the most basic level, the practice of listening to the voices of those who, for a long time, were denied the right to speak and be heard.